Compaction machines are typically used in landfill operations and the like for moving and compacting waste and refuse material. Compactor wheels typically include an inner cavity formed by a hub, the hub being connected to a cylindrical outer surface on which numerous cleats may be mounted. Machine axles typically extend within the inner cavity for connection to the compactor wheels.
Because of the typically high costs associated with purchase and operation of such machines, it is desirable to operate such compactors efficiently and to minimize down-time for repairs. One condition that often arises and that requires cessation of operation of the equipment for service is an accumulation of debris onto and around axle joints within the inner cavity, between a wheel and one of the axles of the machine. Materials such as steel cable, wire, rope, and the like may present particular difficulties. This debris, commonly referred to as “wire-wrap,” can migrate into the inner cavity of a compactor wheel and can damage and impede access to the axle seals, bearings, and/or other components that are commonly present in the inner cavity.
There have been attempts in the past to provide an effective guard or barrier arrangement against wire wrap intrusion, but such arrangements have only been partially successful. One such example of a barrier arrangement can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,242, entitled “Protecting Compactor Axles, Seals, And Wheel Bearings From Wire Wrap Intrusion,” which issued on Oct. 19, 1999 (hereafter the '242 patent). In the '242 patent, a shroud that extends axially around a portion of an axle is equipped with a cover plate which, together with the shroud, serves to create a barrier to a wheel cavity enclosing the axle seals and bearings of a compactor machine. The shroud, as shown, extends past an outer edge of the wheel toward a centerline of the machine, and cooperates with a wire trap ring that is circumferentially placed inside the cavity. A serpentine path that is intended to impede the movement of landfill material to the cavity of the wheel is defined between the shroud, the trap ring, and an inner surface of the wheel. The design of the '242 patent has proven only partially effective in addressing the issue of landfill material intrusion. One disadvantage of the design of the '242 patent is that landfill material can enter the cavity of the wheel notwithstanding the radially upward and inward portions of the disclosed serpentine path.